Schools
Lessons Endure the Ages at Shorewood High School
Shorewood alumni reflect on values gained from their time at SHS.
Shorewood High School, constructed atop a gentle hill at the center of the village, has always played a strong role in the community.
In 1924, with about 1,000 students crammed into Atwater School, community members voted for a bond issue of $285,000 to create a high school, according to an article in the Shorewood Radio. Local landowner J. W. Allerding donated much of the land and the village purchased the rest.
From the very beginning, the high school grounds were intended to be a place for the community to gather.
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“The grounds will also serve the community as a public park,” an article in the Shorewood Radio read. “The lawns and athletic fields and equipment will be available for picnic parties and forms of outdoor recreation for our village residents and for the people from Milwaukee.”
About 250 high school students, and 230 junior high school students moved into the new school in February, 1925.
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“An effort will be made to create a more home-like atmosphere at school as most schools at the present time are very factory-like,” a high school student wrote for an edition of Ripples published April 24, 1924, in preparation for the move.
The district strived to welcome non-resident students into its new home, as well.
According to the Shorewood Historical Society, Superintendent F.L. Cummings was a passionate defender of accepting all students, arguing that youth would be without educational opportunities if Shorewood locked them out. Each student from outside Shorewood cost the district $175, and they only received $76 per student.
Throughout the high school’s more than 86 years of existence, students have served the community from home to warzones, from victory gardens to soup kitchens. And community members have consistently supported the school district, volunteering as mentors and consistently voting to raise their property taxes for school funding.
Often because of these connections, many Shorewood alumni enjoy returning to the village for frequent reunions. The video above includes interviews with three alumni who attended the 2011 Annual All Class Reunion on the front lawn of the high school July 9.
